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Ricoh
The Riken research institute (abreviation of Rikagaku Kenkyūjo, 理化学研究所, means Physico-Chemical Research Institute) exists since 1917. In 1927 they created the Rikagaku Kōgyō Kabushiki Kaisha (理化学興業株式会社, means Physico-Chemical Development Co Ltd) to market products derived from their research. In 1936, the photo paper division became Riken Kankōshi K.K. (理研感光紙株式会社, means Riken Sensitized Paper Co Ltd). In 1937, Riken Kankōshi bought the Olympic Camera Works (株式会社オリンピックカメラ) and the associated trade company Asahi Bussan Gōshi Kaisha (旭物産合資会社). This company had started the production of Olympic cameras in 1934. With these two companies, Riken Kankōshi founded the Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (旭光学工業, means Asahi Optical Industries Co Ltd), unrelated to the company who later became Pentax. The name Asahi Bussan still appeared in a 1938 ad. In 1938, Riken Kankōshi became Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (理研光学工業株式会社, means Riken Optical Industries Co Ltd). It seems that both Riken Optical Industries and Asahi Optical Industries made cameras until 1942, among them the Gokoku / Ricohl and the Ricohflex. Some of the cameras sold by Riken were actually made by other companies, maybe including Fujimoto and Proud. The production of cameras was stopped during the war. At some point Asahi Optical Industries became Asahi Musen Kōgyō (旭無線工業, means Asahi Wireless Industries). After the war, Asahi Musen introduced the Steky in 1946 or 1947. Soon its development was transfered to Riken Optical Industries. The postwar Ricohflex III was launched in 1950. Asahi Musen became Asahi Seimitsu Kōgyō (旭精密工業, means Asahi Precision Industries), and made the Ricoh Six before it was merged with Riken Optical Industries in 1953, who was again fully implicated in the camera production. Riken Optical Industries finally became Ricoh (Kabushiki Kaisha Rikō, 株式会社リコー) in 1963. 35mm film Viewfinder, fixed lens * Super Olympic D * Super Olympic DIII * Ricolet * Ricolet S * Ricoh Auto 35 * Ricoh Auto 35V * Ricoh Super Shot 24 * Ricoh Hi Color 35 * Ricoh Hi Color 35S * Ricoh 35 ZF * Ricoh FF-1 * Ricoh AD-1 * Ricoh A-2 * Ricoh FF-1s Rangefinder, fixed lens * Ricolet II * Riken 35 * Ricoh 35 * Ricoh 35 Deluxe * Ricoh 35 New Deluxe * Ricoh 35S * Ricoh 35 Deluxe L * Ricoh 519 Deluxe * Ricoh 519M * Ricoh 500 * Ricoh 500 Deluxe * Ricoh S2 * Ricoh 300 * Ricoh Max * Ricoh S3 * Ricoh Jet * Ricoh Wide * Ricoh 300S * Ricoh Mate * Ricoh 35L * Ricoh 35S * Ricoh Auto Shot * Ricoh Super Shot * Ricoh Elnica 35 * Ricoh 500G * Ricoh 500GS * Ricoh Elnica F * Ricoh Elnica 35M * Ricoh 500GX * Ricoh 500ME Rangefinder, interchangeable lens * Ricoh 999 Autofocus Point & Shoot * Ricoh GR1s SLR, lens shutter * Ricoh 35 Flex * Ricoh 35 Flex CdS SLR, focal plane * Ricoh Singlex * Ricoh Singlex TLS * Ricoh TLS 401 / Ricohflex TLS 401 * Ricoh Singlex II * Ricoh SLX 500 * Ricoh Auto TLS EE * Ricoh XR-1 * Ricoh XR-2 * Ricoh XR 500 * Ricoh XR-1s * Ricoh XR-2s * Ricoh XR 1000S * Ricoh XR 6 * Ricoh XR-S * Ricoh XR 500 Auto * Ricoh XR 7 * Ricoh XR-P * Ricoh XR-20SP * Ricoh XR-X * Ricoh XR-10M * Ricoh XR-8 * Ricoh XR-7M II * Ricoh XR-8 Super * Ricoh XR Solar * Ricoh XR-10PF * Ricoh XR-10P * Ricoh KR-5 * Ricoh KR-10S Half frame * Ricoh Caddy * Ricoh Auto Half * Ricoh Auto Half S * Ricoh Auto Half E * Ricoh Auto Half SE * Ricoh Auto Half SL * Ricoh Auto Half BT * Ricoh Auto Half SE2 * Ricoh Auto Half E2 * Ricoh Auto Half EF * Ricoh Auto Half EF2 16mm film http://static.flickr.com/25/46709161_ada6eb2533_t.jpg * Hanken * Steky I * Steky II * Steky III * Steky IIIA * Steky IIIB * Ricoh 16 120 film 4.5×6 telescopic * Semi Olympic 4.5×6 folding * Adler A, B, III and CII * Gaica and Gaica II * Semi Heil and Heil C 6×6 folding * Adler Six I and II * Ricoh Six 6×6 TLR http://static.flickr.com/56/162107509_93ea67f1e3_t_d.jpg * Ricohflex * Ricohflex A * Ricohflex B * Ricohflex III * Ricohflex IIIB * Ricohflex IV * Ricohflex VI * Ricohflex VII * Ricohflex VIIs * Ricohflex VIIM * Ricohflex Dia * Ricohflex Dia M * Ricohflex New Dia * Ricohflex Dia L * Ricohflex Holiday * Ricohflex Minion * Ricohflex New Minion * Ricohflex Diacord G * Super Ricohflex * Ricohmatic 225 * Ricoh Auto 66 127 film 3×4 telescopic * Olympic A, B and Junior * New Olympic C 3×4 * Zessan ? (unsure) 3×4 focal plane * Gokoku with interchangeable or fixed lens * Ricohl I and IIB 3×4 pseudo TLR * Chukon Ref 3×4 strut folding * Kinsi I 4×4 telescopic * New Olympic C 4×4 * Olympic Four * Seica I and II (telescopic tube) * Letix (telescopic tube) * Roico (telescopic tube) 4×4 folding * Adler IV 4×4 TLR * Ricoh Super 44 * Ricohmatic 44 4×6.5 telescopic * Regal Olympic, both 4×6.5 and 3×4 * Vest Olympic (telescopic tube) 126 film * Ricoh 126C Automatic * Ricoh 126C Auto CdS * Ricoh 126C EE * Ricoh 126C Flex * Ricohmatic 126 110 film * Ricohmatic 110X Pocket Deluxe * Ricohmatic 600M Links * Ricoh camera list at the company's Japanese site * Ricoh camera library: featured articles at the company's Japanese site * Ricoh page at Japan Family Camera * Ricoh 127 film cameras at asacame * http://www.butkus.org/chinon/ Instruction / user manuals for almost all Ricoh SLR cameras and many "point and shoot" models. A number of Ricoh 2¼ instruction manuals are also included. Most in HTML that can be translated. * Night Photography done with Ricoh KR5 * The Ricohflex page by Greg Erker * Ricohflex information at dcolucci's site * Ricoh page at Collection G. Even's site Company's history sources: * An article in IR magazine * A page from the Riken institute * Ishimura page, a site about the founder of Ricoh, by the company Category: Japanese camera makers Category: Japanese lens makers *